Does your room resemble a war field? Do you have irrelevant papers and documents strewn all over your desk at work? Here is why you need to change your messy lifestyle to spare your mental health. so lets get at it: How Decluttering Relieves Anxiety
How Decluttering Relieves Anxiety And Creates Calmness
Many of us – including myself – struggle with keeping our spaces neat. As hard as I try to prevent it, my apartment usually represents chaos. I live such a busy life that I rarely get any time to clean up other than on the weekend. If you ever visit me on a regular Thursday unannounced, you are very likely to be greeted with old newspapers, an empty plate, and a sock or two in the living room.
However, I have recently been working on my untidy habits. These days, I try to clean up any mess that I have made almost instantly. And besides making my home more presentable, I have noticed that it has done me another huge favor. Yep, you guessed it – calming down my anxiety.
So, how does this happen? Intrigued by the way decluttering has affected me, I went ahead and did some research. In the following paragraphs, I will share everything I have learned about the effects of tidying up on your mental health.
Organized on the outside means organized on the inside
According to psychology, a mess exists beyond an unorganized wardrobe or an untidy room. When your surroundings are messy, your thoughts become messy. Similarly, when the environment you exist in is organized, things are more organized in your head.
The visual of a messy, cluttered setting can directly stimulate our nervous response. Disorientation can significantly enhance the secretion of cortisol – the hormone that controls our stress levels. Hence, it comes as no surprise when studies show that unorganized individuals are more likely to develop chronic stress and anxiety disorders.
You take on new challenges as they come
When you start to declutter your life, you begin to lessen the burden of challenges on yourself. As you take on each new task as it comes, you prevent chores from building up and causing you stress. You are not always living in a state of worry over everything that you need to get done.
Everything that needs to be done gets done without wasting any precious time. This ensures that you do not miss something important, only to remember it when it’s been too late.
In addition to that, you are also able to give each new challenge its due attention and so are more likely to do an excellent job at it.
You find it easy to focus on the essential things
Because you are not constantly distracted by the hundred million things you have to do, you can focus on the more essential things. Instead of worrying about the dishes that need to be washed, clothes that need to be ironed, and your recycling, you can direct your energy towards the big work presentation that is coming up.
Consequently, you deal with these demanding challenges in a better way. With the ability to converge all your efforts for this one task, you end up nailing these essential things.
A minimalist lifestyle can make you happier
All my life, I believed that I would be happier if I had this or that. A shiny new car. Those diamond earrings I saw at the store. A new sofa set for the living room.
However, the happiness that came from ordering these things has always been short-lived. After a month or two, there would still be something new I would want. This, I believe, is something most of us will relate with.
But when I adopted a minimalist lifestyle, I noticed that I was just happier with what I had. Even though I only kept a fraction of the things I previously had, I was more content with it. How is that possible?
This is because true happiness does not lie in material things. Instead, it lies in the value that they have for us. Not how much they cost, but what they have to offer to us.
As Marie Kondo says, one should only keep the things that spark joy in them. If something fails at making me happy, it goes to the nearest Goodwill.
A clutter-free space gives you a good night’s sleep
We all know how important sleep is for us. It does not only keep our physical selves healthy but is also essential for our mental health. Sleep-deprived individuals are much more prone to developing stress and anxiety disorders.
And you know what is one of the greatest enemies of a good night’s sleep? That’s right! A disorganized living space.
Multiple studies have linked a tendency to hoard objects with failing to sleep through the night. So, if you have been keeping yourself up late, it’s time to spring clean your house!
Cleaning up gives you a chance to meditate
So far, we have discussed some of the many ways that a decluttered environment can minimize anxiety. But did you know that the act of cleaning up itself is excellent at restoring calmness in your life?
When you clean up your space, you are being productive and useful. This releases some powerful endorphins and hormones that promote feelings of pleasure and contentment. They stimulate the reward center of the brain and make you calm down.
So, you are really killing two birds with one stone here! Not only do you end up with a beautiful living space, cleaning up your apartment can be your very own way to meditate.
The Final Word
Though decluttering your living space can have some significant effects on your mental health, it is certainly not all you can do for it. In addition to this, cleaning up your headspace every once in a while is also very helpful.
If dusting, polishing, and sweeping really isn’t your cup of tea, that’s play. There are a million other ways you can meditate to keep your thoughts in order. Be it hiking, yoga, or going to the beach – the only important thing is that you are consistent with it.
A clutter-free space gives you a good night’s sleep
We all know how important sleep is for us. It does not only keep our physical selves healthy but is also essential for our mental health. Sleep-deprived individuals are much more prone to developing stress and anxiety disorders.
And you know what is one of the greatest enemies of a good night’s sleep? That’s right! A disorganized living space.
Multiple studies have linked a tendency to hoard objects with failing to sleep through the night. So, if you have been keeping yourself up late, it’s time to spring clean your house!
Cleaning up gives you a chance to meditate
So far, we have discussed some of the many ways that a decluttered environment can minimize anxiety. But did you know that the act of cleaning up itself is excellent at restoring calmness in your life?
When you clean up your space, you are being productive and useful. This releases some powerful endorphins and hormones that promote feelings of pleasure and contentment. They stimulate the reward center of the brain and make you calm down.
So, you are really killing two birds with one stone here! Not only do you end up with a beautiful living space, cleaning up your apartment can be your very own way to meditate. For more blogs
The Final Word
Though decluttering your living space can have some significant effects on your mental health, it is certainly not all you can do for it. In addition to this, cleaning up your headspace every once in a while is also very helpful.
If dusting, polishing, and sweeping really isn’t your cup of tea, that’s play. There are a million other ways you can meditate to keep your thoughts in order. Be it hiking, yoga, or going to the beach – the only important thing is that you are consistent with it.
